Speaker, since the incorporation of the Tourism Enterprise Partnership, TEP, as a section 21 company on 1 April 2008 to date, 1 842 tourism small enterprises have been assisted. Two thirds of the small enterprises that TEP has assisted since that date - 1 233, that is 66% - have been from historically disadvantaged communities. About 736 - that is, 40% - of the tourism small businesses that TEP assists are from the rural areas.
Historically disadvantaged enterprises were assisted with the following TEP interventions: The Business Development Fund; South African host training mentorship; business skills training; toolkit training; market access; and the craft programme; as well as the cluster programme related to the grouping and linking of products to create bigger and more market- significant products.